Minnesota Rules, part 4626.0030 outlines 15 areas of knowledge the PIC is required to
demonstrate to the inspector. Two of these (subparts C and O) pertain directly
to monitoring and managing employee illness:
- Identifying foodborne illness symptoms, modes of transmission, incubation periods and commonly associated foods.
- Explaining responsibilities, rights, and authorities of the employee, PIC, and health authority.
During inspection, an inspector should ask questions and have open discussion with the PIC to assess their general knowledge of food safety and foodborne illness prevention. Here are a few questions that might help address subparts C and O.
"Do you track employee
illness? If so, what information do you record?”
Sometimes people are shy about saying it, but “vomiting and
diarrhea” is the answer to look for! The PIC might also want to share
information about who enters information into the log and when is the last time
the log was used.
“Can you tell me how people
might get sick with vomiting and diarrhea?”
This
can be a good follow-up question to help assess the PIC’s understanding of
modes of transmission, incubation periods and commonly associated foods. PICs
often miss the key element of the fecal-oral route of foodborne illness
transmission. It is important for the PIC to understand and be able to explain
how pathogens such as hepatitis A, E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella are transmitted through fecal contamination of food.
“Have you ever received a
complaint from a customer saying they became ill after eating here?”
Finally, the inspector can use this question to start the
conversation about the PIC’s understanding of responsibilities, rights and
authorities of those involved. Follow-up discussion can touch on needed
reminders. We will cover this topic in more detail in Part 4: Reporting to the
Health Authority.
Back to top
Minnesota Rules, part 4626.0060, subpart B requires the PIC to record employee
illness. The PIC records all employee reports of diarrhea, vomiting, or jaundice on an employee illness log. The Minnesota food code doesn't specify exactly how the reports must be recorded. MDH has an Employee Illness Log which is one option for record-keeping. The log helps to ensure your records are complete.
Some handy features of this form include:
- Employee name, report date and return-to-work date.
- List of key symptoms to check off if present,
plus space for additional symptoms or comments.
- List of diagnosed illnesses to report to the
health authority, plus the foodborne illness hotline number (877-FOOD-ILL).
The log also provides a summary of exclusion and restriction requirements. You can review these requirements in Part 2: Exclusions and Restrictions.
When reviewing an establishment’s employee illness policy to
determine compliance, inspectors should go well beyond a simple question such
as, “Do you have an illness recording log?” It is important to make sure
the log is up-to-date and in an easily accessible location.
Is the log up-to-date?
Sometimes the PIC will show
the inspector a blank employee illness log. How likely is it that no employees
have reported any illness during the past year (since the previous routine
inspection)? The inspector and PIC should follow up with a discussion about
responsibilities, as covered in Part 1: Employee and PIC Responsibility.
Is the log kept in a
convenient location?
While it isn’t a good idea to post an employee illness log out in
the open for other employees to see, it is important to make sure the record is
in a location in a where it can be accessed by all PICs. This helps ensure
complete and timely records are kept during all operating hours.
Occasionally, inspectors hear from the PIC that the log is kept
off-site. This is not a recommended practice, because it is a barrier to timely
record-keeping. Storing this information off-site also makes it difficult for
the PIC to provide the record when requested by the health authority, as
required in Minnesota Rules, part 4626.0060, subpart B.
Back to top
Customer complaints
Minnesota Rules, part 4626.0060, subpart C requires the PIC to report customer complaints of illness to
the regulatory authority. Part 4: Reporting to the Health Authority will cover this in more detail.
It isn’t a requirement to keep a log of customer
complaints, but it is a good idea to take information down in an organized
manner. Recording the complainant’s name, phone number and other pertinent
details such as their meal date makes reporting to the health authority easier.
In the event of an outbreak, having this information provides inspectors and
epidemiologists a head start on the investigation.
Vomiting and diarrhea incidents
Foodborne illness often takes victims by surprise, and
unfortunately vomiting and diarrhea incidents do occur in food establishments. It
isn’t a requirement to keep a log of these incidents, but you may want to. Notes
about the type of incident, date and time, area in the establishment, as well
as which employees helped with clean-up can be useful if an outbreak does
occur.
FDA
Food Code includes a requirement for an establishment to have a clean-up plan
for vomiting and diarrhea incidents. Proposed language for Minnesota food code rule revision also includes this requirement. Here are some examples:
Back to top
|